williams



D. T. WILLIAMS FIRE PREVENTING DEVICE June 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Dan 73 Williams Filed Jan. 13, 1948 June 20, 1950 D. T. WILLIAMS FIRE PREVENTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 13, 1948 &

' Inventor Dan T. Williams WWW Patented June 20, 1950 Dan 1. 'Williamsj'Robinson; 111;;assignor0f onefourthto-RobertGi-Platei-, Robinsonflll.

Application:- January is, 1948,; seriarmiaoez ecaims. (01:12:04 3-) "ilThisiinvention relates to adevice'utilizable in .nzautomobiles, airplanes, and other .vehicles pos- .rsessing electrical ignition systemsto preventfires from arising in these vehicles when a collision occurs.

.The primary object of this invention is the provisionof a simple and efficient device-whichmay the readily inserted into an appropriate part of .theignition system of a vehicle to "prevent a fire from arising at its usual source when suchvehicle struck. It is commonly known vinthe automoative safety art that the primary cause of fires in struck vehicles is the snapping of electric wires 1 and/or the dislodging of electric cables from their .battery posts, with the result .that the free end vofxthe wires and/or cables will cause a short cirgcuit by accidental contact with other metallic elements of the vehicle. The present invention pprevents ormakesimprobable this short circuit l phenomenonby operating. as a circuit breaker.

Another important object of. this invention is the provision of an adjustable two-part circuit breaker which is properly insulated and actuated ,by the force of a collision. .The adjustment of. (the. circuit breaker is simply and easily accomvplished :by means of a set screw which varies the tension .on the wire meanshurgingthetwo -parts I .f .the circuit breaker together. -.simple adjustment, the circuit breaker can be rwreadily made .to withstand thethrusts. and bumps Thus, by this encountered in the usualoperation of the auto- ;mobile or airplane; but isincapable of remain- .yingintact under the force of a substantialblow from another vehicle-or object.

Afurther-object is the provision of a complete fire prevention device comprising anadjustable .'.circuit breaker which may bereadily inserted between twoends of an ielectriclcablevin.the ignition system of a vehicle and a breakable vial or ccontainer secured to the exhaust manifold and ;..means connecting the circuit breaker .withcth a-tvial. The vial may contain a-fireextinguishing nrfluidsuch as carbon tetrachloride or carbon diaaoxide. 'When a thrust is applied to the circuit breaker whereby the breaker is opened, ithe .means connecting it with ,thevial will actuate a; mallet thatwill break the vial and cause theex- ..pulsion oi the fire extinguishing fluid. Thus,

the instant invention serves the dual purpose of .These, together with various..ancillaryobjects .ztandieatures ofcthe invention which will; later 1e-becomeiapparent,asithe 0110wingadescrin tials-pro.-

2 needs, are. attained fbylthe device, a. preferred embodiment of which has been "illustrated by way; of example ,only in the accompanying. drawings,..wherein:

5 Figure lisiafbottom plan view showing the'cir- ,cuit breaker cooling.meansand actuating means their operating positions on the automobile;

.lFigure .2 is .a fragmentary plan view of the coolant-containing vial. assembly;

IFigurefBis alfragmentary sectional view-taken substantially. on .plane"3'-'3 of FigurelZ;

. I Figure .4 is a sectional. viewshowing the attachment'of a pulley'to a fender;-

Figure 5 is vafragmentary.front elevational view .01.. the. .circuitfbreaker j 'Figureeis .a fragmentary side elevational view of the circuit breaker; and

t Figure 7. is a fragmentary sectional viewJtaken substantially on" plane ofthe sec'tionline 1-1 of Figure 5.

.elements throughout.

Generally indicated-at istsolid cylinder or .circuit breaker. consisting. of two complementary members. l2oa'nd f4 having atongue and groove frictional engagement asat I6. "Cylindrical member Ill islin'efiectlan electrical conductorsince, as shown in-Figure 7, itsinner member lBconsists of a conducting .material. such. as laminated copper 1 lwireiandits outer member 2|] is an .insulating .shiel'd suchr-as rubber orother suitable non-con- -.ductors.

At both ends of cylindrical memberv m arere- I cessesZZ for sreceivingand. frictionally engaging ,the.endsof. an electricacablei l, one branch of a whichcableis connected to thepost of a battery 26', the: other branch of which is connected tothe .remainderl of .thefignition system (not shown). Around thatbranch of .cablei l which leads directly to the'batteryand at a positionadjacent .the complementary member; [2, is secureda con- ..ventional two; membere'd collar clamp 28 .with a pair .-of,lips on.each-,member 3B, and apertures throughtheilips forreceiving a b0lt'32 and a nut r 34 wherebytheclamp can bemade tojrigidlyclasp the cable. One of the collar clamp members is o .providedwith alongerlip36 at the-end of which -islan-aperture ior-receiving-abolt or screw .38 for l securingthescollarclampto-a desiredposition on cir-ame 40 of rthe vehicle. -.'Ilhus it=.willbe seen that cylindricalelement l0 l6 fi more or-slesswigidlyfixed-at :oneend: and. relatively freer at the other end (opposite clamp 28) being supported at this latter end merely by the weight of the cable.

Wound around and freely movable on member I4 is a spring 42. A pin or screw stop means 44 is provided in member l4 to prevent movement of the spring 42 beyond a desired position.

At the bottom of member I2 pin orscrew means 46 is provided for frictionally engaging thebase of an arcuate plate 48 upwardly curved at its end and provided with an aperture for engageably receiving a set screw 58 and a nut 52. inwardly curved finger-like sides'of plate 48 are provided with two apertures 54. .Two fairly rigid The bracket member 88 as at 98'. One arm of bellcrank is provided with an aperture for receiving the end of wire 14. Thus it will be seen that the bellcrank 91 serves as both a stop means and a release means.

A brief description of the operation of the device follows. An impact, as in a wreck, received by a vehicle, such as an automobile or airplane, will be transmitted .via the wire and pulley system 64 almost instantly to Wire 60. This wire 60 will, therefore, exert a pulling force on insulated circuit-breaker I0 snapping it open at the tongue and groove interface I6 thus breaking the circuit. Because of the insulation around It hanging elements l2 and I4 will not accidentally cause an undesired short circuit with other metal parts of the vehicle frame. As 10 is snapped open, a pulling force is exerted simultaneously on wire '14 releasing bellcrank stop 91. Spring 92 which I2 and 14 together is diminished; whereas, by

turning set screw 50 in a clockwise direction, tension on wire 56 is increased, coil 42 contracting and moving toward stops 44 with theresult that the force urging l2 and I4 together is increased.

Thus, by simply setting the screw 50at a desired point an efiicient control is effected whereby a predetermined minimum force will be required to separate members [2 and I4 at the tongue and groove interface l6.

Fixedly attached at both ends "of 5 ID are wires 1' 60 joined together and made integral with a wire and pulley system, generally shown at 62." This wire and pulley system is made to encircle the bottom of the vehicle at its inside and is so constructed and arranged as to transmit an impact to the vehicle from an side thereof eventually to wires 60 which will pull circuit breaker l0 and snap it open at the tongue and groove interface I6. This wire and pulley system consists of the conventional wires 64 and pulleys 66 which pulleys are fixedly secured to the fenders 68 or bumpers 69 by means of a bracket 10 .and' bolt 12.

While wires 60 are operating to snap circuit breaker [0 open, wire 14 fixedly secured to II] is normally in contracted position will then expand against mallet head 94 which in turn will strike and break vial l6 releasing a fire-extinguishing fluid or coolant such as carbon tetrachloride onto the exhaust manifold.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed thata clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in'this'art.

A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however,-that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully'com'prehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

' 1. In a motor driven vehicle having an exhaust manifold; a fire preventing device comprising an adjustable circuit breaker, exhaust manifold cooling means, means connecting said cooling means -with said adjustable circuit breaker for simultaneously actuating said cooling means and-said circuit breaker, and separate means responsive to an impact on the vehicle connected to said circuit breaker for actuating the same, said'adjustable circuit breaker comprising, an insulatedc'onis simultaneously impelled to actuate a spring urged mallet arm which strikes and breaks a glass container, generally shown at 16, filled with a fire-extinguishing fluid or coolant such as carbon tetrachloride which fluid is expelled onto the exhaust manifold. The construction of fireextinguisher i6 is shown in greater detail in Fig ures 2 and 3.

Glass vial 1B is rigidly fixed at one end by ductor having two separable complementary portions, and adjustable spring means urgingsaid complementary portions together.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said cooling means comprises a breakable container havingacooling fluid therein.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said means connecting said breakable containerwith said adjustable circuit breaker comprises a'ten- 'sioningwire-secured atone end to the insulated portion of said circuit breaker, a mallet arm Underneath the vial l6 and bolted orscrewed secured to the other end of said tensionin-g'wire, a mallet head secured to said malletarm positioned adjacent to said breakable container, and means adjacent said mallet head whereby said mallet head is urged in the direction of said breakable container.

4. In a motor-driven vehicle having an exhaust manifold, a fire-preventing device comprising in combination, an adjustable insulated conductor havingtwo separable complementary portions, a

tongue and groove engagement between said separable portions, adjustable spring means secured on said conductor across the tongue and groove engagement urging said separable portions together with a predetermined force, and *wire -means secured to-the insulated portion of both ends of said conductor responsive to an impact force on said vehicle greater than that predetermined force urging said separable portions together; whereby said conductor is separated at the tongue and groove engagement, a breakable container having a cooling fluid therein, a tensioning wire secured at one end to the insulated portion of said conductor, a mallet arm secured to the other end of said tensioning wire, a mallet head on said mallet arm adjacent said breakable container, and spring means urging said mallet head in the direction of said breakable container.

5. The combination of claim 4, and a wire and pulley system circumscribing said motor arable complementary portions, a tongue and gI'OOVe engagement between said separable portions, adjustable spring means secured on said conductor across the tongue and groove engagement urging said separable portions together with a predetermined force, and wire means secured to both ends of the insulated portion of said conductor responsive to an impact force on said vehicle greater than the predetermined lforce urging said separable portions together, whereby said conductor is separated at the tongue and groove engagement.

DAN T. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 15,927 Schauman Oct. 7, 1924 2,020,160 Revett Nov. 5,1935 2,232,726 I Perez Feb. 25,1941 

